Bearing press support adaptor

ABSTRACT

A support adaptor assembly for a bearing press comprising a rectangular shaped header plate ( 1 ), a pair of adjustable support rods ( 4 ) each with an adaptor ( 9 ) on one end for providing a means of supporting an object ( 50 ) to be worked on with a bearing press either above or below the support members of the bearing press.

This is a national stage filing under 35 U.S.C. § 371 of InternationalApplication No. PCT/AU03/00338 filed Mar. 20, 2002, which claimspriority based on Australian Patent Application No. PS 1945 filed Apr.26, 2002.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

This invention relates to a device (hereinafter referred to as a“support adaptor assembly”) which can be fitted to a pressing device(hereinafter referred to as a “bearing press”) used for removing or forfitting press-fitted components such as bearings, gears, pulleys, pins,bushes and seals.

Conventional bearing presses comprise a support frame having a basesection, two spaced apart elongate side members extending upwards fromthe base section, and a fixed mounting member to which is connected amechanically or hydraulically operated pressing device. Attached to theelongate side members of the support frame by pins or bolts, are twoparallel, horizontal, spaced apart support members used to support acomponent to which pressure is applied by operation of the pressingdevice.

There are many variations of this configuration, but all known prior artbearing presses have two parallel, horizontal, spaced apart supportmembers, above which is mounted a pressing device.

In use, an object requiring assembly or dismantling of press-fittedcomponents, is placed on the support members of the bearing press, or onplates supported by the support members of the bearing press, so thatthe pressing device can be operated to apply vertical, downward pressureon the object to remove or replace the press fitted components. In orderto prevent damage to components and injury to the operator of thebearing press, the component to which pressure is applied must be on ahorizontal plane relative to the vertical direction of the downwardpressing force.

There are, however, some objects with press-fitted components, whichcannot be correctly aligned with a horizontal plane or supported on thesupport members of a bearing press for the following reasons:

-   -   a) the object may be too long to fit between the pressing device        and the horizontal support members of the bearing press. Even        when the support members have a means of height adjustment, this        is often a difficult and time consuming process;    -   b) the object may be too wide to fit between the horizontal        support members of the bearing press;    -   c) the object may be of an irregular shape which does not allow        it to be supported in such a way that places the component to be        fitted or removed with a horizontal plane relative to the        vertical direction of the downward pressing force;    -   d) the object may comprise two components of similar width or        diameter which are press fitted together and must be separated        by use of a pressing force for repairs.

OBJECT OF THE INVENTION

It is the object of the present invention to reduce the disadvantages ofbearing presses as described above, by providing a means by whichobjects with press-fitted components can be supported in suspensionabove or below the horizontal support members of the bearing press.

STATEMENT OF THE INVENTION

According to the present invention, there is provided a support adaptorassembly which can be fitted to a bearing press into which objectsrequiring removal or installation of press-fitted components, such asbearings, can be placed and supported whilst pressure is applied fromthe pressing device. Said support adaptor assembly providing a means forsupporting objects in suspension above or below the support members ofthe bearing press.

It is preferred that the support adaptor assembly includes a rectangularheader plate which includes a means for mounting it centrally either onthe frame of the bearing press above the pressing device or on thepressing device itself where the pressing device includes a means ofmounting it.

It is preferred that the rectangular header plate contains a slot ineither end to enable a pair of elongate support rods to be verticallyattached to the support plate by means of nuts above and below theheader plate in a manner which allows adjustment of the width by whichthe support rods are spaced apart.

It is preferred that the two support rods have a means of adjustment ofthe length by which they extend below the rectangular header plate.

It is preferred that each support rod has a means for mounting anadaptor which provides a means for supporting an object withpress-fitted components which requires use of a bearing press forassembly or dismantling, but cannot be supported on the support membersof the bearing press.

According to the present invention, there is also provided incombination, the above described support adaptor assembly and bearingpress.

The present invention can be embodied in many ways without departingfrom the spirit and scope described above.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a small portable bearing press mountedin a vice.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the supportadaptor assembly.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of the preferred embodiment of the supportadaptor assembly mounted on a small portable bearing press.

FIG. 4 is a front elevational view of the preferred embodiment of thesupport adaptor assembly mounted on a small portable bearing pressshowing an object comprising two press fitted components mounted on thesupport adaptor assembly.

FIG. 5 is a front elevational view of the preferred embodiment of thesupport adaptor assembly mounted on a small portable bearing pressshowing one component of an object mounted on the support adaptorassembly and another component of the object supported on the supportmembers of the bearing press.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

The preferred embodiment of the support adaptor assembly shown in FIGS.2, 3, 4 and 5 is adapted to be used with a bearing press such as isshown in FIG. 1 for working on an object, generally identified by thenumber 50 in FIG. 4 which comprises two main press-fitted componentsreferred to hereafter as the inner component 51 and the outer component52. Said bearing press being mountable in a vice 15 and comprising anupright frame 10, a vertical screw pressing shaft 12, a threaded shaftmounting 13 and two support arms 11 having a horizontal plane along andacross the top edges relative to the vertical pressing shaft 12. Ingeneral terms the support adaptor assembly, shown in FIGS. 2, 3, 4 and5, includes a header plate 1 and two elongate support rods 4 and anadaptor 9 mounted on one end of each rod 4 which together provide ameans for supporting an object 50 to be worked on and shown in FIGS. 4and 5.

With reference to FIG. 2, the preferred embodiment of the supportadaptor assembly is shown as comprising a rectangular header plate 1through which is formed a centrally located clear hole 3 and a slot 2formed in each end. Mounted on the header plate 1, through the slots 2provided in each end, are a pair of elongate threaded support rods 4secured to the header plate 1 by nuts 5 and 6 tightened against bothflat surfaces of the header plate 1. At the opposite end of each supportrod 4, is attached a screw mounted stirrup shaped adaptor 9 througheither side of which is located a bolt 7 with a nut on one end 8.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. 2comprising a header plate 1 through which is formed a centrally locatedhole 3 which provides a means for the header plate 1 to be centrallymounted on the bearing press frame as shown in FIGS. 3, 4 and 5. Inorder to mount the support adaptor assembly on to the bearing pressshown at FIG. 1, the pressing shaft 12 is first screwed out of thethreaded shaft mounting 13 and the header plate 1 of the support adaptorassembly is placed onto the top edge of the bearing press frame 10 andthreaded shaft mounting 13 in a position whereby the hole 3 in theheader plate 1 is in alignment with the hole of the threaded shaftmounting 13. In this position, the pressing shaft 12 is passed throughthe clear hole 3 in the header plate 1 and screwed into the threadedmounting 13 until the tip 14 of the pressing shaft 12 protrudes throughthe threaded mounting 13 as shown in FIG. 3.

In use, with the support adaptor assembly mounted on the bearing press,an object to be worked on can be supported by using adaptors screwfitted to the support rods 4.

In FIG. 4 an object 50 is shown supported by the support adaptorassembly so that the press-fitted components 51 and 52 of the object 50can be separated by use of the pressing shaft 12 of the bearing press.In this case, the inner component 51 has a hole at points A, B and C andtwo of these, it points B and C respectively, have been utilised tosupport the inner component 51 by first aligning those holes with holesprovided in the stirrup shaped adaptors 9 mounted on the support rods 4.This can be done by adjusting the length by which each support rod 4extends below the header plate 1 and by adjusting the width by which thesupport rods 4 are spaced apart. With reference to FIGS. 3 and 4, thereis provided in the header plate 1 a slot 2 in each end as a means ofadjustment of the width by which the support rods 4 can be spaced apartor otherwise positioned relative to the header plate 1. In use, the nuts6 on the support rods 4 located below the header plate 1 are loosened sothat the support rods 4 can be free to be moved along the slots 2provided in the header plate 1 until they are located in the desiredposition whereupon the nuts 6 on the support rods 4 may be tightenedagainst the lower surface of the header plate 1 to secure the supportrods 4 in position. The length by which the support rods 4 extend belowthe header plate 1 may also be adjusted by relocating the nuts 5 and 6provided on the support rods 4 above and below the header plate 1respectively. To increase the length by which a support rod 4 extendsbelow the header plate 1, the nut 5 above the header plate is woundupwards along the support rod 4 until the desired length is attainedwhereupon the nut 6 below the header plate 1 is tightened against thelower surface of the header plate 1 to secure the support rod 4 inposition. To decrease the length by which a support rod 4 extends belowthe header plate 1, the nut 6 on the support rod 4 below the headerplate 1 is wound downwards along the support rod 4 until the desiredlength has been obtained and the nut 5 on the support rod 4 above theheader plate 1 is then wound downwards along the support rod 4 andtightened against the upper surface of the header plate 1 to secure thesupport rod 4 in position.

When the support rods 4 have been adjusted to allow alignment of theholes in the sides of the stirrup shaped adaptors 9 mounted on thesupport rods 4 with the holes in the component 51 at points B and C, abolt 7 is passed through each stirrup shaped adaptor 9 band thecomponent 51 to mount the object 50 in the bearing press. A nut may bewound onto the bolt and tightened against the side of the stirrup shapedadaptor 9 to secure the object 50 in place. Further minor adjustment ofthe length by which the support rods 4 extend below the header plate, 1or the width by which the support rods 4 are spaced apart, or otherwisepositioned relative to the header plate, 1 may be necessary to locatethe point 16, shown in FIG. 4, to which pressure needs to be appliedwith the tip 14 of the pressing shaft 12 centrally below the tip 14 ofthe pressing shaft 12 and on a horizontal plane relative to the verticaldirection of the pressing force represented by the vertical alignment ofthe pressing shaft 12.

The pressing shaft 12 then is wound downwards to apply a downwardpressing force to the outer component 52 of the object which is shown inFIG. 5 separated from the inner component 51 and supported on thesupport members 11 of the bearing press. The outer component 52 remainsmounted on the support adaptor assembly, and can be unattached byremoving the bolts 7 from the stirrup shaped adaptors 9.

The above described invention thus overcomes a major disadvantage ofbearing presses by providing a means of allowing the assembly anddismantling of many press fitted components which cannot be supported onthe support members of bearing presses. The preferred embodimentdescribed above has been designed for use with a small portable bearingpress as shown in FIG. 1 which has a screw shaft pressing device 12.However, it can be easily modified to be mounted on most bearing presseswithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Similarly,the preferred embodiment of the invention has been designed with stirrupshaped adaptors 9 mounted on support rods 4 shown in FIG. 2, to providea means for supporting the object 50 shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. However,other adaptors can be designed and mounted on the threaded support rods4, or other devices such as chains and shackles, to suit various typesof objects which require the use of the support adaptor assembly forpress fitting or removing components, without departing from the spiritand scope of the invention.

1. A bearing press comprising: a frame that has an internally treadedmounting; an externally threaded pressing shaft for providing a pushingforce to a component, the pressing shaft being received in theinternally threaded mounting; and a support adaptor assembly having anelongate rectangular shaped header plate, which has a slot in either endand a centrally located unthreaded hole, two support rods that are eachreceived in one of the slots in the header plate and extend downwardsrelative to the direction of the pushing force of the pressing shaftcomma the length of each support rod below the header plate beingadjustable, and a stirrup shaped adaptor attached to an end of eachsupport rod for connecting an object to the support rods and locatingthe object relative to the header plate such that the pressing shaft canpush a component into the object, the header plate being located abovethe internally threaded mounting such that the pressing shaft extendsthrough the centrally located unthreaded hole and the internallythreaded mounting.
 2. A bearing press as claimed in claim 1, whereineach stirrup shaped adaptor has a bolt with a shank that extends throughholes in opposing legs of the respective stirrup shaped adaptor.
 3. Abearing press as claimed in claim 1, wherein the component is a bearing,and the forward end of the pressing shaft has a tip for engaging withthe bearing.
 4. A method for pushing a component into an object, themethod comprising: using the bearing press of claim 1 locating thesupport adaptor assembly on the frame such that the header plate islocated above the internally threaded mounting and the pressing shaftextends through the centrally located unthreaded hole and the internallythreaded mounting; attaching the object to the stirrup shaped adaptors;locating the component between the object and the forward end of thepressing shaft; and winding the pressing shaft downward to apply apressing force on the component to press the component into the object.5. A method as claimed in claim 4, further comprising selecting thelength of the two support rods below the header plate.
 6. A method asclaimed in claim 4, further comprising selecting the position of eachsupport rod in the respective slot.